Collapsible baby-jumper.



No. 703,458. Patented July I} I902.

A. PIPERKINS. COLLAPSIBL E BABY JUMPER. (Application fled Nov. 37,1901.)

-(No Modal.)

INVENTOR, GED/{Au}, 4'. EA/[OM WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY m: Ngnms Prrzns cm. mow-Luna. wnsaiucrow, n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ALFRED P. PERKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAPSIBLE BABY-JUMPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 703,458, dated July 1,1902.

' Application filed November 2'7, 1901. Serial No. 83,822. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED P. PERKINS, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of New York, Manhattan borough,'county and State ofNew York; haveinvented an Improved Collapsible suspending Baby-Chair, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to suspending-chairs, and has for its object toprovide an inexpensive, simple, and practical suspending babychair whoseparts may be readily assembled and as readily collapsed when desired andwhich, besides having a swinging to-and-fro movement, will have anagreeable up-anddown bouncing movement, a further object of theinvention being to provide a suspending-chair wherein substantially allthe parts t'. e. the seat, back, arms, guard-rail, &c.-are suspended andmaintained in their assembled position simply by the suspension-cordswithout the employment of catches or other fastening devices, allarranged so that the chair when collapsed will occupy a minimum amountof space, a feature of value for transportation and other purposes.

To these ends the invention consists in the novel details ofiinprovement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully describedand claimed. r

Reference is to behad tothe accompanying drawings, forming part hereof,wherein- Figure l is a perspective view of my improved suspending-chairin position for use.

Fig. 2 is a section of the chair on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is aplan or top view of the same, and Fig. 4 is a plan View of the chairknocked down or collapsed.

Similar letters of reference indicate like of sidebars or rods Ct a,jointed to cross-bars a a by a sort of tongue-and-groove joint orotherwise, and between and over the rods ct a is stretched and fasteneda canvas or other covering a but any convenient form of seat may beemployed.

B indicates the back of the chair, which also preferably is constructedof side bars or rods 1) b, jointed to cross b rs or rods 1) b by atongue-and-groove joint or otherwise, the

four bars forming a frame-likestructure, and over and between the rods bb thereof is stretched and secured a canvas or other coving b (see Figs.2 and 4;) but any other convenient form of back may be employed. Atthelower end of the back B and passing through and between the side barsb 1) thereof is a rod or shaft 19 whose opposite and exposed ends litinto and are frictionally held in grooves or openings in the inner sideof the bars (fa of the seat, Figs. 1, 2, and 4,

thus forming a hinge-like joint between the seat and back, permittingthe back to be raised and lowered, as hereinafter described; but theback and seat portions of the chair may be joined or connected by ahinge-band or otherwise to accomplish the same result. Projecting fromthe outer side of each side bar I) of the back B is a short arm orshoulder at, having an opening or aperture therethrough forthe passageof the suspensioncords, hereinafter described. In place of the shoulderZ a screw-eye or the like may be ,end of each arm being adapted to'restupon the standard 6 and the opposite end upon the shoulder d, the arm fhaving the openings or apertures ff for the passage of thesuspension-cords and said openings being adapted to registerrespectively with the openings or passages in the-standard e andshoulder d.

h indicates a guard rail or bar adapted to rest 'upon the arms or rodsff, asshown, which rail has openings or passages h h at each end for thepassage of the suspensioncords and which openings areadapted to registerrespectively with the openings 1 f in the arms ffl.

The parts are suspended and maintained in their assembled position bysuspension cords or connections i 7; at each side of the chair,

which cords diverge from a loop or ringj, Fig. 1, the cord 1' passingthrough the opening h in the guard-rail it, through the opening f in thearm f, then through the hollow standard 6, and through the opening 0 ofthe side bar a of the seat, where the cord t' is securedly knotted orfastened to prevent the parts slipping therefrom. Similarly the cord '21passes through the opening f in the arm f, through the opening in theshoulder (I, then through the opening 0 in the side bar a of the seat,where the cord is knotted or otherwise secured to prevent the partsslipping therefrom. The various openings or passages in the parts abovereferred to are of such size that the cords '1; 1" will have free andeasy movement therethrough.

m m indicate elastic cords or connections, each of whose lower endsisadapted to engage with the loop or hook of the suspensioncords bymeans of a hook or catch m and S-hook or ring 7;, Fig. 1, the upper endof the elastic cord at also being provided with a catch or hook madapted to engage a ring or loop at the end of a cord or connection 92,the upper end of the cord 02. being provided with a ring or loop a,adapted to engage a hook or the like it upon a suitable support, as theupper part of a doorway. It will be evident that the cord or section 41may be omitted and the elastic cords m attached directly to a support,it being also obvious that instead of the elastic cords or connections mconstituting separate sections attached to the suspension-cords thecords t' t" may be made partly elastic or may be provided with anelastic insertion in a portion of their length.

0 indicates a tension device for regulating the tension of the cords 'it", the same being shown as a tent-cord fastener, (see Fig. 1;) but anyother device for regulating the tension of the cords may be employed.

The weight of the child or other user of the chair tends to draw thecords taut and to keep the back B, by means of the suspension-cordspassing through the shoulder (.l, in a substantially upright orpartially-inclined position, which object is further assisted by drawingthe diverging suspension cords 11 71 more tightly together by means ofthe tension device 0, dis t ghtening of the cords i 1; also tending tokeep the guard-rail 7L in place, so as to prevent the infant fromfalling out of the chair. Straps or other safeguards to further insuresafety in this regard may be employed.

I \Vhen the chair is not in use, the suspension-cords and connectionsmay be detached from their supports, and for purposes of storage andtransportation the chair may be knocked down or collapsed (see Fig. 4)by simply releasing the tension device and push mg or turning down thehinged back to a plane with the seat, which can be done in an instant,and the connected parts-the arms, standards, and guard-rail-will readilyyield and give way and collapse, as all the parts are held together bythe cords and succumb with the cords when the weight is removed from thechair and the back pulled down. It will be seen, Fig. 4, that when theback is let down the seat and back present substantially a planesurface, taking up little space, and making the chair when collapsed ahandy portable structure having many obvious advantages fortransportation and other purposes. The back B instead of being knockeddown to the position shown in Fig. 4 may be turned down in the oppositedirection and almost upon the seat A, face to face, in which case theupright standards 6 e and other parts are pulled out from between theseat and back.

By means of the elastic cord or insertion hereinabove referred to thechair will receive an agreeable up-and-down bouncing movement, and bythe use of such elastic insertions the employment of springs, which havemany disadvantages in structures of this character, is dispensed with.

Although I have described my invention as intended for a baby-chair, itis evident that the same may be utilized for other analogous purposes.

It will be noted that the chair being supported by the suspension-cordspassing through the openings described and knotted at their lowerextremities to prevent the chair slipping therefrom may readily beraised or lowered or the seat inclined by simply pushing the chair up ordown upon the cords and knotting or fastening the ends of the cords atthe desired height or incline.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. In a chair of the character described, a seat-frame, hollow standardson the front of the side bars of the seat-frame, arms on the standards,a guard-rail on the arms, a back hinged to the side of the seat,shoulders on the back-frame for supporting the arms, and combinedbinding and suspending cords run through the guard, arms, standards andthe side bars of the seat at the front and through the arms, shouldersand side bars of the seat at the rear, as and for'the purpose described.

2. In a chair, a seat-frame, hollow standards, side arms and a guard, aback hinged to the seat-frame and a flexible connection run throughholes of the guard, arms, hollow standards and seat-frame and comprisingthe means for binding the parts together and for suspending the chair asand for the purpose described.

ALFRED P. PERKINS.

Vitnesses:

ABRAHAM B. LEVY, HENRY S'roRoK.

